Upholstery



J. D. FLYNN UPHOLSTERY May 5, 1953 Filed July 3, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET lINVENTOR. JOSEPH 0- FLY/WV ATTORNEY J. D. FLYNN May 5, 1953 UPHOLSTERY 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 3, 1951 INVENTOR.

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Patented May 5, 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UPHOLSTERY Joseph D.Flynn, Oakland, Calif.

Application July 3, 1951', Serial No. 234,928

2 Claims.

This invention relates to upholstery and particularly to means forupholstering a concave surface such as the inner face of a casket paneland to means for providing a readily interchangeable upholstery on sucha surface.

The invention will be described herein for example as applied to acasket panel which is the hinged or removable section directly above theupper portion of the body in the casket but its adaptability to use withother articles of similar shape will be apparent from the descriptionwhich ensues,

It is customary to finish the inside of a casket with a shirred orruliled material suitably secured to a flat material such as domett orother fleecy backing which may be fastened as by glueing, sewing, ortacking to the interior of the casket. It is a difficult and costlyoperation to apply this lining material to a concave surface and onceapplied, it can be removed and replaced only by an expert upholstererwith considerable experience in this particular operation. It isdesirable that the interior finish of caskets be interchangeable so thatthe caskets may be displayed and sold with a selection of color anddesign of the inner lining.

The present invention has for its objects the provision of means thatsimplifies the lining of the interiors of caskets and permits thelinings to be interchanged by unskilled persons. Further and morespecific objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent inthe following specification wherein the invention is described in detailby reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a casket showing the panel to which thepresent invention particularly applies in open position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of such a panel illustrating the shape ofthe interior of the panel before the lining is applied,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a semi-rigid backing provided by thepresent invention for applying lining material to the panel shown inFig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in perspective of a part of the securingmeans by which the backing is secured in the panel,

Fig. 5 is a view in cross-section of the panel with the backing membershown in Fig. 3 in place thereon,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail in section showing the manner of attachmentof resilient ribs to the backing member and the position assumed by thelining thereon,

Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail of another portion of the fastening means,

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a cardboard blank employed in the manufactureof the semi-rigid backing member, and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the finished backing member made from the blankof Fig. 8.

The casket shown at ID in Fig. 1 has the customary panel H which ishinged or otherwise arranged to permit it to be swung to an openposition as shown and it is provided with shirrecl lining materialindicated at [2 which preferably follows generally the concave innersurface of the panel. The shape of the interior of the panel H is shownin Fig. 2 wherein it is illustrated as having a flat bottom part l3,sloping side walls I4, a sloping end wall [5 and an end wall itperpendicular to the bottom I 3.

The present invention provides a semi- -rigid backing member formed ofbendable material such as cardboard or thin plastic and shaped as shownin Fig. 3 to assume a somewhat concave shape with two or more resilientribs l8 secured to its back or inner surface. Each of the ribs 18 isprovided with a hook-like part preferably adjacent its center which maybe attached to fastening means in the form of staples disposedinteriorly of the panel. The hook-like part on one of the ribs isillustrated in Fig. '7 at H] as being punched out of the metal of whichthe rib I8 is formed. The staples are shown at 20 in Fig. 2 and adjacentat least one of the staples there is preferably a guide 2| which, asshown in Fig. 4, is a small piece of channel-shaped metal taperingtoward one end which end is disposed adjacent the staple 20. When thebacking member is placed within the panel, it conceals the staples 20and the guide 2| enables its ready application by receiving and guidingone of the hooks [9 to its proper position beneath the staple 20. Sincethe staples and hooks 19 are correspondingly spaced, the other hook willreadily find its position beneath its staple. The shape of the backingmember I! is somewhat less concave or shallower than the panel I I sothat when it is placed over the panel, it must be depressed centrally ashort distance to engage the hooks beneath the staples, and theresiliency of the ribs I8 will retain it in place making all four of itsedges fit snugly against the interior of the panel. A supporting barshown at 23 in Fig. 2 is nailed or otherwise secured against thevertical wall It to support the corresponding edge of the panel in itsproper position. The assembled relationship of the backing member in thepanel II is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the hook I9 is shown asengaged beneath one of the staples 20. Since the panel I! and ribs l8thereon are subject to flexing movement, they are desirably connectedfor slight adjustment of their relative positions and this isaccomplished as shown in Fig. 6 Where one end of a rib I8 is shown assecured by a hollow rivet 24 to a point adjacent the edge of the backingmember l'l. The rivet also passes through a washer of cardboard orsimilar material on the front face of the panel this washer being shownat 25 and the panel is provided with a perforation 23 considerablylarger in diameter than the shank of the rivet to enable slidingmovement or adjustment of the relative positions of the panel and therib when flexing movement takes place. The edges of the backing member Hare also preferably bound with a U-shaped metal strip illustrated at 21which is crimped or otherwise suitably secured in place thereon as areinforcing member. The lining material is also illustrated in Fig. 6as-comprise ing the domett or fieecy backing 28 with the shirred liningmaterial 29 mounted thereon by means well known to the art. Thesecombined lining materials or whatever other lining may be used areglued, stitched or otherwise secured to the face of the backing memberI! with their edges overlapping the edges of the backing mem her asshown. This provides a neatly finished edge and eliminates the necessityof applying gimp or other decorative tape to conceal the tacked edges ofthe conventional upholstery methods.

The manner of forming the backing member I? is illustrated in Figs. 8and 9. In Fig. 8 a blank of good quality cardboard such for ex" ample assulphite board is shown as being cut to a generally rectangular shapebut with its end edges sloping slightly outwardly toward a centralpoint. The board is scored for bending from its corners inwardly towarda central line as indicated by the dotted lines 36 and it is cut as onthe line 3i along a central line from its ends to a point slightlybeyond the meetings of the scored lines 36. The board is then given itsconcave shape by being overlapped adjacent the cuts 3| as indicated inFig. 9 and it may be held in this position as by stapling or othersecuring means indicated at 32. The reinforcing edging 21 and theresilient ribs 18 are then applied and the backing member is ready forthe application of the lining,

The linings may be applied to these backing members by relativelyunskilled labor so that the cost of the lined panel is not greater thanthat of the conventional lined panel where highly skilled upholsterersare required. Furthermore the backing member with the lining applied maybe readily removed and replaced by another backing member lined withmaterial of different style or color and the invention, therefore,provides prospective purchasers with a great variety in colors andeifects at a very reasonable cost.

I claim:

1. Means for applying upholstery to a concave surface which comprises apliable backing member corresponding in outline to the surface and towhich the upholstery may be affixed, resilient ribs secured to andextending across said member, hooks carried by said ribs, eyes toreceive said hooks on the concave part of said surface whereby theupholstered backing member may be deformed into the concavity and heldin place therein by the resiliency of said ribs, and slidableconnections between the ribs and backing memher to permit them to bedeformed.

2. Means for applying upholstery to a concave surface which comprises apliable backing mam.- ber corresponding in outline to said surface andshaped to a lesser concavity than the surface and to which upholsterymaterial may be secured, resilient ribs spanning the back of said memberand connected thereto adjacent their ends by slidable connections,fastening devices carried centrally of the ribs, and cooperatingfastening devices on the concave surface whereby the backing member whenupholstered may be pressed into the concave surface and resilientlyretained in place therein.

JOSEPH D. FLYNN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

